


Infected

by NervousAliceCurious



Series: Escape the Night Fandom-Season 3: Meta-World Corruption [10]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Apocalyptic Rush, Escape, Gen, Hospital Run, Infection, Parasites, Sneaking In, Sneaking Out, Tokens of Everlock, YouTubers - Freeform, Zombified, walkie-talkies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-12 16:10:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 9,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18014081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: "...It's all up to us now isn't it?"In which an intrepid group of writers must save their friends from the deadliest virus attack yet in tandem with searching for the fabled Tokens of Everlock.Or die trying.





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ETNMystic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Our Eternity Together](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768489) by [ETNMystic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/pseuds/ETNMystic). 



> And so another chapter of this saga takes flight for better or worse.

Envy was...never…okay?

 

I looked up from the newest chapter of Mystic’s work.

 

 

Worried.

 

 

 

“Um…hey…”

 

 

…How to broach the subject exactly?

 

 

“So…”

 

 

I turned to where I thought he’d be: standing over my shoulder, scanning for any signs of Harpies, Killer Dolls, what-have-you…

 

 

 

“I just read this thing…and I think you might want to see it…”

 

 

 

 

He wasn’t there.


	2. Pursuit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where are you going!? Don't leave without me...

“Envy!?”

 

 

My head practically snapped off of my neck, it was twisting this way and that so fast-

 

 

“Envy!!”

 

 

_Where’d you go!?_

 

 

 

 

Heart thumping within my chest, I got up from my seat upon a fallen log, and hurried into the darkness surrounding me.

 

 

 

_I have to find him, this can’t be good-_

 

 

 

A flash of something the color of pure ink.

 

 

 

“Envy?”

 

 

I ran toward it, not thinking of anything else but catching up to him as soon as possible!

 

 

 

“Envy, wait up!!”

 

 

 

 

He didn’t.

 

 

 

Instead, the further I ran, the more it seemed like he was falling away from me-

 

 

 

“WAIT!!-“

 

 

 

I stumbled over a wayward tree root, and fell.

 

 

 

“Ow-“

 

 

 

When I looked up again, there were no signs of him at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be safe...Wherever you are.


	3. Don't Think That I'll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't get rid of me that easily, you know.

Wordlessly, I hurried onwards.

 

 

_He wouldn’t have just left…_

 

 

_He wouldn’t have!_

 

 

 

But the evidence of him not being anywhere nearby seemed to confirm-

 

 

 

Wait.

 

 

 

Poisonous purple blooms by the sides of the pathway.

 

 

 

Leading consistently in one direction…

 

 

 

 

My heartbeat sped up!

 

 

_A trail…_

 

 

Despite the ache in my bruised leg, I increased my already-fevered pace.

 

 

_I’m coming for you, Envy!_

 

_No matter what…_

 

 

 

 

**_Little did she know._ **

 

**_That I was already there._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV change.


	4. My One And Only Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The puppet dances.

 

**_She’s here._ **

 

 

**_Cautiously, I open the door._ **

 

 

**_Last time, I’d almost been punched._ **

 

 

 

**_I didn’t want to risk that even_ remotely _happening again!_**

 

 

**_…_ **

 

 

 

**_What on earth did they think they were doing?_ **

 

 

 

**_Didn’t they know that just because they couldn’t see me didn’t mean that I couldn’t see them?_ **

 

 

 

**_I attempt to reach out and grab Her wrist-_ **

 

 

 

**_I want to stop her from leaving, it's not my intention to frighten her…_ **

 

 

 

 

**_But she manages to slip away from me._ **

 

 

 

**_The small brunette rips a fire extinguisher off of the wall before I can get to her either, and sprays it at me!_ **

 

 

 

**_I claw away the interfering clouds of white foam._ **

 

 

 

 

**_While I'm busy with that…_ **

 

 

 

 

**_They sneak by me again!!_ **

 

 

 

 

**_Really, this is getting ridiculous._ **

 

 

 

 

**_Thirty seconds later,_ **

 

 

 

 

What have I done!?

 

 

I shake my head to clear it...

 

 

 

But it's already over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I know how this looks.
> 
>  
> 
> And it's not pretty.


	5. I'm Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice is still alive...for now.

…What were the odds?

 

 

1-in-6?

 

 

Those flowers led me right to the Society’s front door.

 

 

 

_Envy…_

 

 

 

 

I’m afraid.

 

 

That I know.

 

 

 

 

The halls are once again eerily silent.

 

 

 

Completely devoid of life like the last time him and I went sneaking around.

 

 

 

_Where is everyone…?_

 

 

 

My chest screamed at me from the endless running, and I doubled over in pain.

 

 

"Ow…ow…"

 

 

Slowly but surely…

 

 

 

 

I was getting _worse_ wasn’t I?

 

 

 

 

'…shelter as soon as we saw them being infected!'

 

 

 

What?

 

 

The voice…

 

 

 

It had come from...a walkie-talkie?

 

 

 

 

Following the sound, I carefully peeked around the doorframe of the infirmary.

 

 

Sure enough, a lone one lay abandoned upon the crisp, white flooring.

 

 

 

‘Even a single drop of infected saliva on an open wound can transmit the parasite’.

 

 

 

Wondering at how strange this was, I picked it up.

 

 

 

“All of you, head into the storage chamber and grab suits and bags’.

 

 

 

That-

 

 

 

Rosanna Pansino?!

 

 

 

Just what exactly had gone on here while we were gone…?

 

 

 

‘But what about Alice!? She’s still in the hospital wing-‘

 

 

’It’s too late. If we try to get her now, we’ll only risk infection’.

 

 

 

…

 

 

 

…Infection?

 

 

 

I hit the ‘Call’ button:

 

 

 

“Guys?

 

Are you there!?”

 

 

 

‘Alice? How did you—?’

 

 

 

“They have emergency supplies in the hospital wing…I think…

 

Listen, I won’t have time to barricade the doors, but I can try to make it there-“

 

 

‘Don’t’.

 

 

I stopped cold.

 

 

 

There was genuine fear in her tone…Mystic’s.

 

 

 

‘We’ve been compromised. The group’s headed to the detox room’.

 

 

 

 

“Okay!”

 

 

 

There was a sudden creaking from behind me, and I jumped.

 

 

 

_Wha…?_

 

 

 

Turning, I saw a barely-visible hatch in the floor close down upon itself like no one had ever moved it in the first place.

 

 

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

_Please don’t be a blood-thirsty ghost like in all those horror games…!_

 

 

 

I crept over to it with bated breath, and gently lifted it loose.

 

 

 

A ladder leading deep into the belly of the bunker awaited me.

 

 

 

“I’ll be there…”

 

 

 

I began to descend, heart borderline in my throat.

 

 

 

 

When I hit the bottom, I walked forward a few paces, and was compelled to hit the ‘Call’ button once more:

 

 

 

“I know you said not to stick around here, but I found a secret hatch in the hospital wing.

 

It’s led me into a series of tunnels in a sewer.

 

 

Just grab me a bag and a suit and I can meet up with you”.

 

 

 

‘But the stab wounds—‘, a male voice protested.

 

 

 

I smiled, despite the tenseness of the situation.

 

 

 

Dooper really was such a sweetie…

 

 

 

“I’ve had two months to heal”, I replied.

 

 

“I’ll be fine.

 

 

“You all just worry about getting yourselves out.

 

 

 

_I’ll be heading your way soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't give up on me yet, okay?


	6. She Who Walks Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not alone down here...

My bare feet squished into unidentifiable mush, and I cringed.

 

 

If I wasn’t already infected with something that would kill me slowly, whatever it was that I had just gotten caked all over my heels would surely do the job instead.

 

 

 

_….Which tunnel should I pick, though?_

 

 

 

There were at least five openings in the same spot, and each one of them was deathly silent.

 

 

 

 

Crouching low to the ground, I searched for footprints.

 

 

 

 

There was a fair-sized one placed within the mouth of the one directly in the center.

 

 

 

Its pristine clarity led me to believe that it had been put there on purpose…

 

 

 

 

_If its an enemy, I’ll let loose what little karate I know!_

 

 

 

It was a promise!

 

 

 

 

Still didn’t quite banish all of the nerves.

 

 

 

 

As I entered the dark maw, my heartbeat kicked up.

 

 

This was flippin’ scary-

 

 

 

The tunnel carried on for a long while, before finally depositing me into a hub of four.

 

 

 

The tell-tale print was in Tunnel Left, #1 this time...

 

 

 

 

Then I entered a hub of three.

 

 

 

 

Tunnel Right, #1.

 

 

 

 

_Who’s leading me around, here?_

 

 

 

 

Tunnel Left, # 2...

 

 

 

A hub of two.

 

 

 

Tunnel Right, # 2.

 

 

 

 

A hub of one.

 

 

 

“It’s about time young lady!

 

 

I even left that door open for you and all of my prints, and you _still_ managed to take an eternity”.

 

 

 

 

A woman with silver hair, and a gothic maid’s outfit gracefully turned to face me from the lone cave mouth.

 

 

 

 

“!!??”

 

 

 

I recognized her on sight.

 

 

 

In ‘The Catacombs’…

 

 

 

 

Mystic had called her ‘Penelope’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chala, I found her!!


	7. Not Quite Done For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's back~!!

“You…you’re here!”

 

 

She quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

 

 

“ _You_ sound as if you weren’t expecting me”.

 

 

“Uh…”

 

 

I fumbled for the right words to say.

 

 

“Well…Chala’s stories said you had to leave Or Else…and then you came back in Mystic’s stuff and got turned into a mouse by the Cursed God-“

 

 

 

She shook her head, and gave a mock-sigh.

 

 

 

“How is it that you children address such events these days-‘rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated’?”

 

 

 

Her delicately-gloved fingers beckoned me forward.

 

 

 

“Come.

 

 

The others are waiting”.

 

 

 

I could hear them before I actually saw them.

 

 

“Guys?” I called out, barely daring to hope-

 

 

Wild waving from the three energetics (and squealing, in Bird’s case) had me nearly tearing up with relief!

 

 

“Oh thank God!

 

I thought I’d never find you guys!”

 

 

 

Then.

 

 

 

I noticed.

 

 

 

 

“ …Where’s Envy?”

 

 

 

Mystic looked at Safiya.

 

 

 

The sheer _regret_ on her face-

 

 

 

My heart was broken before she’d even opened her mouth.

 

 

 

 

"I’m so sorry...

 

 

He became infected".

 

 

 

So you had to leave him behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, boy. Heeeere we go-!


	8. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is not okay.

 

My face fell.

 

 

I know it did, I could feel it-

 

 

 

Feel my smile collapse with fear and sadness.

 

 

 

 

_That poor guy…_

 

 

 

 

Would he _ever_ catch a break!?

 

 

 

 

“Infected?”

 

 

 

Penelope’s previously-jovial expression grew serious.

 

 

Chala gasped.

 

 

 

“Penelope?

 

What the h* are you doing here!?”

 

 

“I heard rumors about the parasite, so I came down here to investigate when Alice ran my way.” 

 

 

“It’s true”, Mystic confirmed, “It’s infected just about every single agent.”

 

 

 

_And Envy…_

 

 

 

The Kirumi Toujou-lookalike sighed.

 

 

“I suspected as much.

 

It’s quite prevalent in the water system down here”.

 

 

 

At the horrified looks she received, _this_  hurriedly tacked onto the end:

 

 

"-Don’t be afraid of catching it, however.

 

It’s not an airborne parasite like he normally sends out.

 

 

You can only be infected if you drink infected water or are bitten by someone who was already infected to begin with.”

 

 

 

“Why did he send it out?”

 

 

The pain in her eyes was palpable.

 

 

“Mystic, my dear, I know you’re much smarter than this. You put it together yourself”.

 

 

 

From the way her cheeks swelled with blood, the conclusion she was coming to-

 

 

 

“I get it!

 

He wanted me to feel smothered in the agency because he _knew_ that would make me want to leave.”

 

 

 

“Precisely.”

 

 

 

“But how did the parasite get inside the agency in the first place?”

 

 

Aqua asked the question that everyone else was thinking.

 

 

“Can the water filtration be accessed by outsiders?” Penelope exclaimed.

 

 

 

She shook her head.

 

 

 

Theorist spoke up then:

 

 

“The water filtration system can only be accessed from inside of the sanctuary.

 

If the filter were there, it would’ve most certainly detected and eliminated any parasites that came across it.”

 

 

 

Panic shot across her features so fast…

 

 

 

 

I hadn’t known her for very long.

 

 

 

 

And even I was unsettled!

 

 

 

She always seemed so self-assured about everything…

 

 

 

To react like this…

 

 

 

“That’s what I was most afraid of,” she said, her voice shaking for all it was worth.

 

 

“What? Why?”

 

 

Dooper looked confused.

 

 

 

She drew in a calming breath.

 

 

“It’s quite possible that we may have a traitor amongst us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is it? Me!? No...Couldn't be...


	9. Please Stop...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why...why...?

Mystic looked horrified!

 

 

“A traitor?”

 

 

She nodded.

 

 

“Yes…one sent by the Cursed God to go undercover and sabotage us in any way possible”.

 

 

Leah rolled her eyes.

 

 

“It was probably Andrea Brooks.

 

That girl’s always getting herself possessed”.

 

 

Theorist pointedly avoided looking at Bird.

 

 

“Maybe it’s Teala?”

 

 

“Nooo!!”

 

 

The Roila shipper despaired.

 

 

“Uh…I did say ‘maybe’…”

 

 

“Maybe’s the same thing as yes!”

 

 

She closed her eyes and wailed:

 

 

“If it’s true then that ship will sink for sure!!”

 

 

“Seriously?”

 

 

Dooper looked so done with this.

 

 

“The universe is at stake, and all you care about is Roila!?”

 

 

“They give me a reason to live, dingus!”

 

 

“Both of you, enough!

 

Start this triviality again, and I’ll have to hypnotize you into silence.”

 

 

 

The sight of angry Penelope was enough to make them both clam up at once.

 

 

 

 

“We discussed this, Penelope!” Chala hissed.

 

 

“Oh, we did?”

 

 

I winced at her sarcastic tone.

 

 

“I wasn’t listening so it doesn’t count”.

 

 

 

Before she could snap at her with an equally-sarcastic retort, Aqua dove into the fray:

 

 

 

“Wait.

 

What if the detox didn’t work on one of US?”

 

 

 

That struck-

 

 

 

We all stopped watching the two women fight, and turned to look at her in shock.

 

 

 

That struck us right to our cores.

 

 

 

 

“Us?”

 

 

Mystic’s face was deathly-pale.

 

 

 

“It’s probably Alice”, Theorist spoke up helpfully.

 

 

 

“She’s kept herself separate from the rest of us for far too long-“

 

 

“What!?”

 

 

I could feel the vitriol surging through my veins.

 

 

 

 

...Normally, a little friendly fire, no problem.

 

 

 

But in these circumstances!?

 

 

 

Did I _look_ like I wanted to die!!??

 

 

 

“Excuse _you_ , but I have been extremely injured for the past two months!

 

I could barely even _move_ let alone _plot_ something like this, _and why would I want to anyway!?_ ”

 

 

 

I was shouting so loudly that even _Penelope’s_ jaw had dropped.

 

 

 

“But by all means, if you _really_ want to go ahead and play this game, Mx I’m-so-sure-it’s- _you_ , why don’t you go pick on Bird?

 

She’s the one who fell first, remember!!??”

 

 

 

“Why would I want to see my OTP fall to a parasite!?” She yelled.

 

“Do you actually think I’d have the guts to infect my favorites? What about Bronwyn or Tegan? They haven’t even spoken yet!”

 

 

 

_Ohh_ , my word!

 

 

 

“Don’t you _dare_ come for us!”

 

 

 

Their voices spit venom in unison, and I wanted to scream!!!-

 

 

 

“ENOUGH all of you!!

 

 

 

This isn’t the time to argue about who’s the traitor.

 

 

 Penelope said that it was only POSSIBLE.

 

 

She never said that it was the _truth_...”

 

 

 

_That_

 

 

was what got everyone to

 

 

_just_

 

_shut_

 

**_up!!!_ **

 

 

 

“You know, Mystic…”

 

 

Aqua looked thoughtful.

 

 

“It’s quite possible YOU took out that filter. Maybe YOU'RE the traitor."

 

 

 

“Please just shut up”.

 

 

 

It was out before I could stop it.

 

 

"You did  _not_ just say that!" she gasped.

 

 

“M-me!?”

 

 

 

...Guess Mystic didn't hear.

 

 

 

“Why the h* would I do that!”

 

 

 

“I don’t know.

 

Perhaps you wanted the attention.”

 

 

She gave me a veiled look of 'Oh we are  _so_ not done here'.

 

 

 

“You think I'd go THAT FAR to get attention!?”

 

 

 

"I don't know, perhaps all of what we know about you is a lie.

 

Maybe you knowingly let the Cursed God into this fandom!"

 

 

 

I sighed.

 

 

“Guys, _come on-"_

 

 

“You _do_ realize, Aqua, that you’re making YOURSELF look rather suspicious.

 

After all, you’re the one who brought up the possibility of one of the writers being the traitor.”

 

 

 

Wow, Penelope.

 

 

_Really?_

 

 

You're just gonna  _add_ to this!?

 

 

 

“Plus, me being the traitor is completely illogical”, Mystic ~~ignored~~ continued!

 

 

“The Cursed God wanted to use the parasite to force me to leave the sanctuary.

 

It’d be pointless for him to send me out to infect them.”

 

 

 

Chala nodded in agreement.

 

 

 

“That does make sense…”

 

 

 

...There really  _was_ a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

 

 

 

“Look”.

 

 

 

Safiya’s no-nonsense tone cut through the dying embers of this stupid, stupid argument like a knife, and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

 

 

 

“We still don’t know for sure if a traitor is amongst our ranks.

 

But if we don’t get moving _now_ , the Cursed God will catch up with us.

 

 

 

Alice, put on your suit and then we’ll go.”

 

 

 

Rosanna (who had _also_ been massively uncomfortable this entire, honking time), handed over my suit with slightly-wet eyes.

 

 

 

“Thank you…”

 

 

I said softly.

 

 

 

“You’re welcome”.

 

 

 

 

After I had finally gotten it on over my extremely grimy self, I took a long look at each one of the writers (and ETN _fighters_ ), ahead of me.

 

 

 

_One of us…was a traitor?_

 

 

 

I didn’t want to believe it.

 

 

 

And I knew I wouldn’t.

 

 

 

Not out loud anyway…

 

 

 

 

_Not until someone’s confession broke my heart._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does it have to be this way


	10. Push Me Any Further...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm done.

…Don’t tell anyone else about this.

 

 

 

**Please.**

 

 

 

 

 

Mystic and I…

 

 

 

She had been lagging near the back…

 

 

 

Thinking.

 

 

 

Then...

 

 

 

I think I said something about me not liking to swear and all that in response to something else…

 

 

 

And she asked me who I would recommend to take her place if I was truly so innocent.

 

 

 

 

I picked me.

 

 

 

 

Yeah…

 

 

 

If you knew…

 

 

 

 

You would call me crazy.

 

 

A liar.

 

 

 

_No way_ anyone would do something so monumentally insane as that!

 

 

 

Not in a situation like this, where ‘trust’, apparently equals ‘traitor’...

 

 

 

(Am I bitter?

 

 

Or just disappointed).

 

 

 

 

Yes, some people actually do stupid things like this for the greater good.

 

 

I'm one of 'em.

 

 

 

 

 

…Alright fine, maybe I _did_ partly do it just so I could save Envy in the process-

 

 

 

 

But before you go ahead and judge me, think about it:

 

 

If I did this, no one else would have to suffer.

 

 

 

 

No more hurt.

 

 

No more pain.

 

 

 

No more _in-fighting._

 

 

 

 

And everyone we loved would also stay safe and sane by proxy!

 

 

 

A win-win in my book-

 

 

 

 

…But no.

 

 

 

 

_He’s_ too busy being fixated upon poor Mystic.

 

 

 

Makes me sick just to think about it.

 

 

 

And he actually sounded like a cutie in ’The Catacombs’ too…but I knew all along.

 

 

 

 

He was _bad!_

 

 

 

Sooo _bad…_

 

 

....

 

 

I guess I’ve got a target painted on my back now...

 

 

 

She was kind enough to inform me of that before she zonked out again.

 

 

 

 

Whatever.

 

 

 

 

Give it your best shot.

 

 

 

 

See if you can knock me down.

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t care…

 

 

 

 

If I have to die, I will.

 

 

 

 

 

And no one

 

will ever

 

know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thank you for the gift, ETNMystic!! >//////< )


	11. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on, but the sketchy revelations start here.

I think…I fell asleep like fifty times.

 

 

We walked on, and on, and on…

 

 

It was so monotonously soothing that I wouldn’t even realize that I was out.

 

 

 

I would just snap to whenever somebody jostled me.

 

 

 

I never could tell who did it…

 

 

 

 

Anyhow, when the end was in sight, cheers erupted all around!

 

 

 

 

I was probably the quietest one.

 

 

 

 

We stepped through the end of the meteor-sized drainage pipe, and popped out a random manhole cover.

 

 

 

 

Then, people took turns getting lifted through the hole.

 

 

 

 

Apparently, somebody saw me about to collapse on my feet because before I knew it, Matt and Rosanna were hauling me out.

 

 

 

 

“Hey.

 

I know you’ve been supervising the reverse engineering of that microphone Calvin said he set up for me. Did you ever figure out what it did?”

 

 

Mystic’s voice floated into the edges of my consciousness as I rested on the curb.

 

 

“Oh, yeah,” Safiya nodded.

 

“It’s a device that manipulates the voice and modifies it to reach hypnotic frequencies. Basically if you had sung into that, we would’ve all become servants to the Cursed God”.

 

 

I saw her shiver.

 

 

“I still don’t understand why he picked me,” she said.

 

“There are much better alternatives out there than me.”

 

 

“Not really.

 

“If anyone has to take the burden, why not have it be the one who released him?”

 

 

They looked mildly surprised that I’d somehow gathered up enough energy to actually talk...especially at an impressive one in the morning.

 

 

“It was a total accident,” she protested.

 

“Do you want me to suffer?”

 

 

“No…”

 

 

I shook my head.

 

 

“But I could never forgive myself if I got someone else to take your place.”

 

 

 

“So what you’re saying is you’d rather have me suffer?”

 

 

 

Ahhhh-

 

 

“Of course not!”

 

 

 

Hadn’t we been through this before!?

 

 

 

She huffed.

 

 

“I’m sorry.

 

I just don’t understand why he would—“

 

 

 

“Hey guys?” Theorist pointed to a small, dilapidated monument by the side of the road.

 

“Anyone recognize this name?”

 

 

 

Everybody crowded around.

 

 

 

_Lydia Waverly._

 

 

 

“Who the h* is that?” Leah looked to the others.

 

 

“I suspect this may have been written by a certain dark entity”, Aqua quipped.

 

“Guess you’re not as special as you thought, Mystic.”

 

 

 

“Oh, not THIS again,” Penelope groaned s ~~aid what what I was thinking exactly!.~~

 

 

“I’m NOT the traitor,” Aqua defended.

 

 

 

With an extra glance at _me_ for good measure.

 

 

 

“Then how do you know so much about all of this?”

 

 

“I do a lot of research.”

 

 

 

The defensive tone she took made me wonder if Mystic’s questions had some merit.

 

 

 

“Okay, can you both please shut the h* up?” Leah asked.

 

“I’m sure that _neither_ of you are the traitor.

 

In fact, I don’t think there really IS a traitor amongst us.

 

 

If there was, we would’ve found them out by now.”

 

 

 

“I think so, too…”

 

 

 

“I don’t know, traitors can hide pretty easily,” Bird countered.

 

 

“Yeah,” Mystic agreed, a hint of sadness in her voice.

 

“I didn’t even realize Mortimer was gonna be a traitor.”

 

 

“Okay, but to be fair,” Leah argued.

 

“Who even saw that coming?”

 

 

 

Me.

 

When Roi said so, in fact.

 

 

 

At that lovely moment, Mystic’s walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life!

 

 

‘Mystic?’

 

 

I didn’t recognize the voice.

 

 

“Holy-!!”

 

 

I saw her hit the ‘Call’ button.

 

 

‘Talk to me’.

 

 

“I’m here, Jael”.

 

 

 

Oh.

 

 

 

 

‘If the infection rumor is true, I do hope you’ve made it to safety’.

 

 

“Confirmed.”

 

 

‘Is anyone else with you?’

 

 

“Uh yeah, actually. Leah, Bird, Dooper, Safiya, Penelope, Matt, Rosanna, Theorist, Alice, Aqua, Tegan, Bronwyn, Jas, and a few others.”

 

 

‘Good’.

 

 

“Hey. Quick question. Any idea how the infection could’ve gotten into the agency?”

 

 

 

Static.

 

 

 

I waited with bated breath, and more than the average dread.

 

 

 

‘We think, unfortunately, someone inside of the agency tampered with the filtration system.

 

However the good news is that we’ve managed to get a sample of the infected water.

 

We’re currently working on an antidote and cure.

 

 

If things go smoothly, we should be able to cure everyone within a matter of days’.

 

 

 

Although the news that perhaps we had a traitor after all was deeply disturbing-I couldn’t help but let out a _huuuuge_ sigh of relief.

 

 

A stray tear trickled down my cheek, and I fought the urge to laugh out loud!

 

 

Envy’s gonna be okay now!!

 

 

_Yes!!!_

 

 

 

“Great, but are you saying that one of _us_ did this?”

 

 

 

‘That’s the most likely possibility. And what’s worse is that we think it may be someone within the ranks of the writers’.

 

 

 

“Is there any way to tell who the traitor is?”

 

 

‘As of now, only by careful observations’.

 

 

 

“…Can I ask something?

 

What exactly IS this parasite?”

 

 

 

‘Sorry, what?’

 

 

 

Ah.

 

 

 

It returns from the dead-

 

 

 

My inability to talk loudly.

 

 

 

“I said what is this parasite?”

 

 

 

‘We currently don’t have a name for it, but we do know it’s genetically engineered from a pre-existing parasite, one that hijacks the brain.

 

The Cursed God modified it so that those who ingested it had a severe and never-ending compulsion to protect Mystic specifically.’

 

 

 

“Why did they get all pasty and pale and whatnot?” Dooper asked.

 

 

 

‘We’re not entirely sure.

 

 

We’re thinking it could be a side effect of one of the symptoms.

 

Our current hypothesis is that, in exchange for melanin, the infected become almost superhuman; super strength, speed, and stamina specifically.

 

But due to their low levels of melanin, they’re extremely sensitive to sunlight, some even to the point of death’.

 

 

 

…Now I understood why he’d originally left.

 

 

 

Not only was it that nasty compulsion rewiring his brain, but also it was the danger of being fried by the sun come first light!

 

 

 

“What about the blood-redness of their eyes?”

 

 

This time, it was Leah who popped a query.

 

 

‘That’s another one we don’t know.

 

On our clones, we’ve observed some crying blood once their eyes turned red.

 

 

We’re currently believing that it could be an increase in blood flow to the vessels located in the eye, but we still are uncertain of the reasoning’.

 

 

 

…Had I heard that right?

 

 

 

“Clones…?”

 

 

 

Chala shot me a weird look, but said nothing.

 

 

 

“So you can confirm that one of us may, in fact, be a traitor working for the Cursed God?”

 

Mystic’s tone was laced with hesitance.

 

 

 

‘It’s a hypothesis with a 95% certainty.

 

I need to go help with the antidote.

 

 

Stay safe.’

 

 

 

CLICK!

 

 

 

Jael may have left, but her words would be forever burned into the fabric of my mind.

 

 

 

“So there really is a traitor amongst us?” Jas shivered.

 

 

“Don’t look at me,” Tegan said putting her hands up.

 

“I hate that SOB. Why would I spy for him?”

 

 

 

 

“Moving away from the traitor point,” Mystic began, “Matt, where’s the first token?”

 

 

 

For a few seconds, the Detective simply stood there, thinking.

 

 

 

“…I believe it’s located back in the main hub of Everlock.

 

Unfortunately, this means that we’ll have to walk for a couple of days more.”

 

 

 

“Fair enough,” Mystic sighed.

 

“Let’s get moving.”

 

 

 

“Wait,” Aqua challenged.

 

“Who made you in charge of this expedition?”

 

 

“No one, but someone’s gotta step up.

 

And besides, we can confirm with 99% certainty that I am NOT the traitor, meaning it’d be best for me to lead you all to the right path.”

 

 

 

She rolled her eyes.

 

 

“Whatever”.

 

 

“Like I said,” Mystic repeated:

 

“A little respect goes a long way.”

 

 

 

Picking ourselves up once more, we prepared for another ten-billion hours of walking.

 

 

 

I found my eyes lingering on Mystic-

 

 

Mainly because her _own_ were practically shooting laser beams into the other writer’s back.

 

 

 

_She thinks she’s the traitor._

 

 

 

 

…But is it really that simple?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it her?
> 
> ...
> 
>  
> 
> I don't think it's her.


	12. Mad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mystic and I catch the attention of an odd forest-dweller...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um...warnings for panic, maybe some PTSD, I don't know...

…Was it possible to walk for a hundred years?

 

 

Because that’s what it felt like.

 

 

 

 

My feet were beginning to complain.

 

 

 

 

 

“Let’s stop here for now”, Safiya said right on cue.

 

My own sigh of relief was drowned out by at least five others.

 

 

_Thank goodness…_

 

 

 

 

It felt like we’d somehow lucked upon a fantasy forest-

 

 

 

Everything was either verdant, luxuriously overgrown, or both.

 

 

 

“I wish there was some hot food here,” Dooper said wistfully.

 

“I could go with a nice piece of pie or something.”

 

 

 

“Pie definitely does sound good...”, Mystic agreed.

 

 

“ _Especially_ pecan”.

 

 

 

 

Rosanna took one look at her faraway expression, and began to laugh.

 

 

 

At first, she did her best to hold the giggles in with a polite hand over her mouth.

 

 

 

 

But they persisted nonetheless until, soon,  she was helplessly halfway to the ground with outright guffaws!

 

 

“What’s so funny?”

 

 

 

“You just look so cute when you’re daydreaming”, she gasped.

 

 

 

Her bright smile was like a ray of pure sunshine.

 

 

 

 

And with that, everyone else burst into laughter too.

 

 

 

 

“I’ll go get some firewood”, Mystic offered as soon as we had all cooled off.

 

“Alright, but don’t get lost out there okay?” Matt warned as he cleaned the film of humidity from his glasses.

 

 

“This place is a literal jungle”.

 

 

 

 

That being said…

 

 

 

 

She disappeared for a long time.

 

 

 

 

Long enough for me to get _worried._

 

 

 

 

 

Walking up to the edge of the woods, I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled:

 

 

 

_“Mystic!_

 

Did you get the wood yet?”

 

 

 

“Not yet!” was the faint reply.

 

“But I think I found where it is…you wanna come with me?”

 

 

...

 

 

That sounded a little weird.

 

 

 

 

“Okay”.

 

 

 

 

Taking care not to trip over the various plant life surrounding me, I caught up to the writer in a matter of seconds.

 

 

 

And her new friend.

 

 

 

 

“-Very well then.

 

 

Let us go”.

 

 

 

 

 

As we followed this strange guy to what I assumed would be his house, I took the opportunity to whisper into her ear:

 

 

 

“Are you sure that this is a good idea?

 

We don’t even know him!"

 

 

 

“Maybe not”, she conceded, “But we don’t know the type of plants and wood that are here.

 

He seems like he lives nearby, so it’d be best to take the risk.

 

 

Otherwise we’re gonna be up the creek without a paddle.”

 

 

 

I couldn’t fault logic like that, but even so-

 

 

 

“I hope you know what you’re doing…”

 

 

 

 

I swallowed down the lump of anxiety in my throat.

 

 

 

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

His house was an honest-to-goodness _teapot._

 

 

 

It reminded me of something.

 

 

 

 

Whistling to himself, the man withdrew a key that held a pocket watch on one end, and inserted it into the lock.

 

 

 

Then, he turned it…slowly but surely…

 

 

 

 

_Oh…_

 

 

 

 

The inside was _full_ of teapots and clocks.

 

 

 

 

“Call me mad as a hatter,” Mystic said in a low voice, “But now I have a bad feeling”.

 

 

“…We should probably leave”.

 

 

She shook her head ‘no’, and I tried not to appear too disturbed.

 

 

“If we go ahead and do that _before_ we get the information we need, he’ll think we’re criminals.

 

Let’s just try to be friendly for now.”

 

 

That was all well and good, this ‘being-friendly’ business, but my deja vu was going off on me _hard._

 

 

I think I nodded, but I don’t remember.

 

 

My mind was too busy taking in everything else in this creepily-familiar place in order to cope.

 

 

 

…For instance, there was a very red-looking book stuffed into a nearby bookshelf.

 

 

 

It wasn’t like any of its friends.

 

 

 

“Here we are, faster than a star,” he recited from up ahead.

 

“Welcome to my abode, make yourselves at home.”

 

 

 

We were politely herded into the next room, which was decidedly larger than the first.

 

 

 

This time, it was Mystic who gulped.

 

 

 

I started to _shake._

 

 

 

teapots, crumpets, biscuits, teacups

 

 

a large table

 

 

 

the biggest tea party known to man

 

 

 

 

“Please have a seat,”.

 

 

 

 

Although he was smiling as he said it, the tiny thread of forcefulness in his voice betrayed his true intentions.

 

 

 

I didn’t want to sit down.

 

 

 

I sat down.

 

 

 

 

To my horror, I realized that I’d somehow managed to pick the one, crimson, throne tucked at the very end.

 

 

 

Mystic, too sat down, right next to me, in fact…

 

 

 

She was beginning to look mildly concerned.

 

 

 

 

-Was it because my face had turned blue with the effort of breathing?

 

 

 

“This is quite a treat,” he snickered.

 

 

 

 

_…Why’d he have to pick the one right across from me!?_

 

 

 

 

“A.  .  .  treat  ... ?”

 

 

 

I sounded as if I’d forgotten how to talk.

 

 

 

 

“Being isolated in these tulgy woods doesn’t offer the luxury of company as you can see.

 

I insist you drink some tea.”

 

 

 

I insist that we should not.!?

 

 

 

And I didn’t.

 

 

 

I looked down at the seemingly-innocent tea, and I _didn’t drink it._

 

 

 

Mystic, did, though…

 

 

 

She made a sour expression, and involuntarily coughed her first sip back into the cup.

 

 

 

“I’m so sorry,” she quickly apologized, leaning over my side of the table in search of a napkin.

 

“Do you have peppermint tea by chance?”

 

 

 

“Will you, won’t you join the dance?”

 

 

 

StOP STARING AT ME

 

 

 

“…Huh?”

 

 

 

The dreamy glaze vanished abruptly from his eyes.

 

 

 

“Oh, peppermint tea?

 

 

“Yes, indeed.

 

Have a snack.

 

 

 

I shall be right back.”

 

 

 

He disappeared into the kitchen, and, if I could’ve, I would’ve sighed with _relief._

 

 

 

Mystic leaned toward me.

 

 

 

“I think we should go now.”

 

 

“But we still haven’t gotten the stuff we needed…”

 

 

 

I wanted to mentally kick myself.

 

 

 

“At this rate, I feel like he’s not gonna give it to us.

 

Alice, doesn’t this all seem familiar?”

 

 

_Doesn’t_ it!?

 

 

“All this…”

 

 

 

I don’t know why it came out like a question.

 

 

 

I wanted to confirm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

“The clock motifs, the tea party, the key with the pocket watch, the rhyming, tulgy woods, ‘will you, won’t you join the dance,’ him staring at you.

 

I think he’s under some sort of delusion, I could even go so far as to say spell, to think he’s the Mad Hatter.”

 

 

 

…HA.

 

 

 

…Do I start hysterically laughing ~~crying~~ now, or later!?

 

 

 

“You’re talking about that nice one from the classic Disney movie, right?”

 

 

 

 

My body heat had jumped a thousand degrees in the short time that we’d been here, and sweat beads were beginning to roll down my forehead.

 

 

 

She shook her head ’no’.

 

 

 

“I have a feeling this isn’t even Tim-Burton-style Mad Hatter, but instead _DC_ universe Mad Hatter, more specifically Gotham Mad Hatter.”

 

 

 

...I had no idea what that even was.

 

 

 

 

“And that’s bad?

 

…

 

Right?”

 

 

 

She nodded again.

 

 

 

Her brow was furrowed with concern.

 

 

 

“What’s worse is that he could match up to Penelope.

 

If this is just like the DC/Gotham Mad Hatter, then this man is _extremely_ gifted in hypnosis and mind control.”

 

 

 

Just like last time

 

 

 

My stomach not only jumped in fright, it also ached with blind _fear._

 

 

 

“…Does he have any weaknesses?”

 

 

“I wish I knew.”

 

 

 

 

Before I could panic _too_ badly-

 

 

 

 

KNOCK-KNOCK!

 

 

 

 

“Hello?

 

Is anyone home? I would like to know where the nearest watch shop is. It seems that my timepiece has met with an unfortunate early death.”

 

 

 

I looked at her, and she looked at me.

 

 

 

We nodded in unison.

 

 

 

Together, we attempted to get up at the same time-

 

 

 

Cold, claw-like metal bit into my wrists, ankles, and waist, firmly tethering them to the separate parts of the chair.

 

 

 

“No-!”

 

 

 

My throat had closed up at this point, so Mystic must have said that…

 

 

 

 

I could see her fighting harshly against her own restraints.

 

 

“…kh-hahaha-!”

 

 

 

He was back...

 

 

 

Framed in the doorway with a remote control clutched in his hand as if it were a lifeline.

 

 

 

“Thought that I was someone you could deceive. I thought that you would likely try to leave…”

 

 

 

**Go away go away go away go away-**

 

 

 

He leaned into my face, gripped my chin with his grimy hand, and tilted it upwards.

 

 

 

His piercing gaze aiming for directly into my eyes.

 

 

 

**…Oh.**

 

 

 

Then I realized.

 

 

 

 

 

This was my worst nightmare come to life.

 

 

 

“I’ve finally found you, my dear,” he sighed **~~lovingly.~~**

 

“Now I’ll make sure that you never leave here.”

 

 

 

 

My mind flashed back to the conversation I had once had with Mystic about taking her place in the arms of the Cursed God.

 

 

 

 

Karma had come back to bite me where it  _hurt._

 

 

 

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!!

 

 

 

…They returned, even _more_ insistent than before!

 

 

 

“No one’s home! No one’s home!”

 

 

 

Turning away from me ~~finally~~ , he began to creep up on a hapless Mystic.

 

 

 

“Once, you were going to be My Alice as you first had me smitten, but I think you’d fit better as her cute little kitten.

 

Or perhaps there’s a slight mischievous streak in that...”

 

 

 

He tapped her on the head, and her stoic facade twitched.

 

 

 

“So maybe I’ll turn you into the Cheshire Cat.

 

 -And yet I feel your elegance remains to be seen, so another good option would be the White Queen.”

 

 

 

_KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-!!!_

 

 

 

“Leave us alone! Leave us alone!” he shouted.

 

Muttering to himself, he said:

 

 

“Perhaps someone’s come here to throw you a bone.”

 

 

 

I sure _hoped_ so-!!

 

 

 

“I demand that I see someone at once!”

 

 

 

At that, the remote slipped from his fingers in shock!

 

 

 

“No, it can’t be...”, he gasped.

 

 

 

Abruptly leaving us trapped in our seats, he flat-out ran for the door!!

 

 

 

 

“…Well this was a lucky break”.

 

 

 

The remote had ended up landing in Mystic’s lap.

 

 

 

 

CLICK!

 

 

 

I felt the claws retract from around my limbs, and I launched myself out of there was no tomorrow!!!"

 

 

 

“Oh thank God!

 

I was wondering if you could---“

 

 

 

Hurrying over to the scene of the action, I was pleasantly-surprised to see that it was none other than Penelope who had arrived.

 

 

 

Her face looked awfully pale, though…

 

 

 

“Penelope Dowry…” his voice hitched with awe.

 

 

“Horace?” she gasped, eyes growing wide in their sockets.

 

“Is that…..is that really you?”

 

 

 

Hesitantly, he reached out and gently clasped her hand.

 

 

 

“You don’t look a day over twenty.

 

How long has it been…?

 

 

Must be……a decade since I’ve last seen you.”

 

 

 

The warm fondness in her tone was at the same time touching, yet a little weird.

 

 

 

“Perhaps so, but it felt like an eternity to me”.

 

 

 

“You two…..know each other?” Mystic asked, confusion apparent.

 

 

 

Only now did she notice that we were there.

 

 

 

“Oh, there you are!

 

Everyone at the campsite is worried about you!!

 

 

…And yes, Horace and I were classmates at the academy when we were training our hypnosis.

 

He and I were…..rather close.

 

 

 

He is a very sweet young man.”

 

 

 

_…Sweet?_

 

 

 

“Sweet!?”

 

 

 

Well, what do you know?

 

 

...She’d said exactly what I was thinking.

 

 

 

 

_“Sweet!!??”_

 

 

 

For a minute, I almost expected her to start breathing fire!

 

 

 

_“He just tried to hold us captive because he’s obsessed with Alice in Wonderland!!!”_

 

 

 

Rather than go off on him like literally _anyone else_ would have done, Penelope just sighed.

 

 

 

“Horace, I thought you’d gotten past that”.

 

 

 

Whaaat

 

 

 

“After you left, I relapsed,” he cried.

 

“I used the story to cope.”

 

 

 

…Oh you can’t be serious.

 

 

 

“Coping is fine,” she asserted, “But you’ve taken it to an unhealthy level!”

 

 

 

Okay, that was more like it…

 

 

 

“But I don’t have to anymore,” he laughed.

 

 

“You’re back now.

 

 

 

Please tell me you’re here to stay...?”

 

 

 

Penelope’s eyes shone with deep regret.

 

 

 

“I’m…..I’m so sorry, Horace.

 

 

But I can’t”.

 

 

 

It was the first time I’d ever heard her voice tremble.

 

 

 

The hopeful light in his eyes went out with a whisper, and the ghost of a smile dissolved into ashes.

 

 

 

 

…I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, at least a little.

 

 

 

“Oh”, he said so quietly that I almost didn’t hear it.

 

 

 

“I understand.”

 

 

 

Taking a deep breath, the Hypnotist turned to address the two of us:

 

 

 

“We found wood that lasts for the fire.

 

It’s time to go back, now…”

 

 

 

As we left, I found myself watching over my shoulder non-stop for his broken gaze to stop lingering upon his retreating beloved.

 

 

 

It never did...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not ready to watch AIW, I see...


	13. Rest Around The Campfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After so many days on the move, routinely fearing for our lives, we finally get the break we deserve!

 

“Hey!

 

Look guys,

 

 

THEY’RE BACK!!”

 

 

 

At Dooper’s excited shout, everybody _immediately_ stopped what they were doing.

 

 

 

Relief shining on their faces, they crowded around us while talking all at once:

 

 

Jas: “What happened!?”

 

 

Bronwyn: “Where were you!?”

 

 

Teeterama: “Are you hurt? Do I need to pummel someone!?”

 

 

 

Mystic held out her hands in reassurance.

 

“We’re fine, we’re fine!”

 

 

 

 

But one person was missing.

 

 

 

 

 

“What’s up with her?”

 

 

She nodded to Aqua who was currently standing as far away from the rest of us as she could get.

 

 

Leah rolled her eyes.

 

 

“She’s been aloof since you took charge”.

 

 

“I didn’t take charge-“

 

 

“She thinks otherwise”.

 

 

“…Do you think she’s insecure?”

 

 

 

Mystic wore a thoughtful expression upon her face.

 

 

 

“This seems like how I’ve reacted to my friends who’ve gotten cast in show and I haven’t.

 

It’s something I’m trying to improve, for their sake and mine, but her behavior seems familiar.

 

 

Maybe she’s not the traitor like I thought.”

 

 

“I don’t know, but she’s refusing to talk to anyone.”

 

 

 

Right on cue.

 

 

 

The black sheep strode in our direction.

 

 

 

“Oh, speak of the devil…”

 

 

 

 

“Well.

 

I guess you’re finally back.

 

 

It took you long enough…”

 

 

“Hello to you too”.

 

 

“We found the wood, no thanks to you—“

 

 

“I need to talk to you in private.

 

Please.”

 

 

 

The girl stared at her in disbelief before finally giving in.

 

 

“Whatever, make it quick.”

 

 

 

The last I saw of them were their retreating backs as they headed over to the nearby lake.

 

 

 

An hour later, they appeared to be friends again.

 

 

 

 

They laughed and joked just as much as everyone else did over a small meal of chicken and berries.

 

And they were the loudest voices during an impromptu sing-a-long of campfire/theatre ballads.

 

 

Thank goodness.

 

 

The little spat they’d been having for a while now was getting to be just as grating as Matt and Lele’s.

 

 

 

 

“Why don’t we tell ghost stories?” Leah suggested.

 

 

It was a darker shade of black by now, and a spine-tingling coolness had fallen over the clearing.

 

 

The only light source we possessed being a healthily-roaring campfire.

 

 

 

In other words, it was the perfect atmosphere for such a thing.

 

 

 

“We’re all pretty creative people. I’m sure we could come up with something.

 

Lovely? You wanna start?”

 

 

“Nah”, denied the author in question.

 

“What about you, Alice?”

 

 

“I’ll pass…what about you, Bird?”

 

 

 

“No. I think Mystic should tell a story.”

 

 

 

“Okay”.

 

“Yeah”.

 

“Sure, why not?”

 

 

 

One by one, each of the writers agreed.

 

 

 

Mystic appeared to think it over for a few, before shrugging in acquiescence.

 

 

 

“Okay”, she said slyly, picking up a few sticks and some dirt.

 

“Let’s see…

 

Ah.

 

Here we go-

 

 

Oh, actually, before we begin, fun fact: did you all know that this forest is cursed?”

 

 

 

I did not know that...

 

 

And judging from the wide-eyed looks of everyone else, neither had they.

 

 

 

“Yeah.

 

You know, we’re not too far from Paramount Ranch, and just a few miles beyond that is Everlock.

 

Paramount’s had some ghosts.

 

 

But legend has it that some of those ghosts have ended up within these very woods.”

 

 

 

 

They hissed and crackled as she threw them onto the fire.

 

 

 

 

 

_The sets of Paramount Ranch are pretty old, so you’d think those would be the dangerous spots, right?_

 

_Wrong._

 

 

_It’s the Paramount Ranch Racetrack that is the sight for the most fatalities._

 

_In a single weekend in December of 1957, three drivers lost their lives on that very track._

 

 

_Their names were unknown._

 

 

_Sources say that each driver has been seen traversing these forests at one point or another._

 

_One group of teenagers were camping out in these woods during the summer of ‘75; they never came back._

 

_When authorities went to look for them, all they found was a camera with a few photos scattered around the forest grounds._

 

_The photos showed the teens and they all seemed pretty normal at first; there was a picture of a girl and her boyfriend making out on a boat, another was a boy hanging from a high branch, normal teen stuff._

 

_But then they got to the last pictures; each one became more and more grotesque._

 

_Some had their jaws dislocate from their faces._

 

_Others had their necks snapped._

 

_One picture showed a girl with rusty nails in her eyes, throat, hands, and feet._

 

_She was hammered up against a tree with her mouth open mid-scream and blood gushing from her impaled eyes._

 

_A final photo showed the girl nailed to the tree and the rest of them lying on the forest floor by their now-dead campfire, right around this area, in fact._

 

 

 

_Authorities originally thought it was just a prank, but if that were true, then why weren’t the bodies there?_

 

 

 

 

When she had finished, I shivered.

 

 

 

_**So** creepy…_

 

 

 

“Welp, I’m not gonna sleep tonight,” Bronwyn declared.

 

 

“What about the ghost story?” Bird asked.

 

 

 

“That WAS the ghost story”.

 

 

 

“Okay, that’s not fair,” Lovely protested.

 

“You’ve scared about half of us cuz you acted like you were telling us a fact about Paramount Ranch at first.”

 

 

 

“I’ve been writing for some time. I kinda like setting it up that way.”

 

 

 

“I don’t really believe in ghosts,” Penelope sniffed.

 

“But I did get a bit of a chill when you talked about the girl nailed to the tree.”

 

 

 

So did I.

 

 

I could just _see_ her lifeless corpse…

 

 

 

“That….that didn’t actually happen right?” Jas shivered.

 

 

 

“Of course not!

 

Well, at least the second part. The first part, the one about the racetrack fatalities, IS true, as far as I know.”

 

 

 

“Yeah, I think I’ve had enough ghost stories for the night,” Tegan wavered.

 

“Let’s just go to sleep.”

 

 

“Sleep?”

 

A nervous chuckle escaped my lips.

 

 

“I don’t think I know her…not after that anyway!”

 

 

 

~~Among other, more recent things.~~

 

 

 

“That’s a mood”, Leah stated.

 

 

“Hey,” Mystic laughed as each of us got into our respective sleeping bags.

 

“It was YOUR idea to tell ghost stories.”

 

 

“Touche.”

 

 

 

“Everyone comfortable?” Safiya asked from her place on Mystic's left.

 

 

 

“Yeah”.

 

“Yeah”.

 

 

“What _is_ comfort?”

 

 

 

A ripple of giggles.

 

 

 

“Good night,” Ro called out from Mystic's right.

 

 

 

 

_Let's all try to get some sleep..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Please no dreams about the Mad Hatter-


	14. Wishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever heard of these magical little trinkets?

 

I tossed and turned.

 

 

I couldn’t help it!

 

 

 

That man’s deranged grin seemed to be permanently burned into my brain-

 

 

 

Not to mention the ghostly pallor of the sacrificed girl from Mystic’s story.

 

 

 

 

Add to both of those an all-consuming worry as to Envy’s state of mind, and you have a poisonous cocktail of thoughts that were _sure_ to give me nightmares.

 

 

 

I huffed in frustration.

 

 

 

Seriously.

 

One would think that the day’s events would have just made me pass out immediately…

 

 

 

 

I reached out to grab a flashlight, aiming to take a mini-night time walk to calm my nerves-

 

 

 

What I got instead was a sudden hand upon my shoulder!

 

 

 

The scream stuck at the back of my throat, and I prepared myself to bring my elbow up and out...

 

 

 

“Sorry,” Penelope apologized.

 

“Didn’t mean to startle you, my dear.”

 

 

 

I breathed a sigh of relief.

 

 

 

“Oh…no it's fine...I’m just….I’m having trouble sleeping.

 

That’s why I was-gonna talk a walk-”

 

 

 

“Funny.

 

I was planning to do the same thing”.

 

 

 

She nodded toward the nearby woods.

 

 

 

“Follow me.

 

 

 

I want to show you something I’ve found.”

 

 

 

We passed through a patch of thorny brush, the briars tangling in our clothes.

 

 

On the other side was a small clearing.

 

 

 

Lifting up a rather prominent rock, she pointed to the tiniest teapot-shaped pebbles I had ever seen in my life!

 

 

 

“What are those?” I asked in awe.

 

 

“Teastones”, she whispered.

 

“Created by the Society’s early alchemists to grant wishes in order to decrease poverty.

 

Legend has it they’ve been buried and scattered throughout Everlock as well as nearby it.

 

 

Each stone equals one wish.

 

Once the wish is made, the rock turns into dust only to be absorbed by the soil.

 

Legend also has it that if enough dust settles into a particular plot of soil, combined with water, it will sprout a Wish Blossom.

 

 

And if you turn the blossom into pure liquid and drink it, well, no one knows what happens.”

 

 

“…Why not?”

 

 

 

“No one’s dared to try to grow one in the first place.

 

Goodness only knows why…

 

 

If they have, there’s no record of it.

 

Only stories from the medieval and renaissance times, including one of Lydia Waverly give us what little information there is today”.

 

 

 

_Lydia Waverly…_

 

 

 

Why did that name sound so familiar to me?

 

 

 

“ _Do_ you…know anything about Lydia Waverly?”

 

 

“Very little.

 

Unfortunately, there seem to be little to no records of her.

 

There are even some people who claimed that she never even existed.

 

 

 

I pity them.

 

 

Such limited knowledge...”

 

 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

 

 

“Lydia Waverly DID exist, but time rewrote itself to make it so that she had never existed.

 

 

It explains those things like the ‘Magic mirror on the wall’ quote and the monocle on the Monopoly man. What do you call those?”

 

 

 

“The Mandela effect?”

 

 

“Yes, that’s it. The Mandela Effect”.

 

 

 

…How on earth did I get that one right.

 

 

 

“When something like what happened to her happens, then time rewrites itself so that that person never existed.

 

But as a consequence, other things also change.

 

 

Therefore, Lydia Waverly once existed.”

 

 

 

“What happened to her that made this possible?”

 

 

 

She shrugged.

 

 

 

“Some say she dabbled in pagan rituals and one went wrong.

 

Others say it was divine intervention.

 

 

But I think it was her own death that rewrote time.”

 

 

 

“Her own death?”

 

 

I was confused.

 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

 

“It is...rather complex to explain right now.

 

For one, because there’s so little written about her, a lot of what we have about her is merely conjecture.”

 

 

“Oh”.

 

 

Well…that was a dead end.

 

 

“So are you gonna do anything with these?”

 

 

She smirked.

 

 

“Well, I was thinking that we make history.”

 

 

“How?”

 

 

This screamed of Sketch a little bit…

 

 

“We create the first recorded instance of the Wish Blossom and the very first instance of someone consuming it.”

 

 

“But what if it’s fatal!?”

 

 

 

_…And why are we doing this in the first place!?_

 

 

 

“We could kill someone-heck, we could kill one of us!!”

 

 

“Not exactly my problem”.

 

 

Her callousness shocked me!

 

 

“And even if so, we could simply wish it wasn’t. In fact…”

 

 

She pressed one of the stones into her palm.

 

 

 

 

“I wish to grow the Wish Blossom tonight.”

 

 

 

The surface glowed as gold as the sun before dissolving into dust.

 

 

Penelope let it trickle through her fingers, and disappear into the soil.

 

 

“There.

 

“Happy?”

 

 

 

_No!_

 

 

 

“Not exactly…And neither am I reassured. I don't understand how this'll work or even if it WILL work”.

 

 

“You’ll understand when you’re older.”

 

 

“I AM older and I still don’t get it”.

 

 

 

An aristocratic giggle erupted from her mouth.

 

 

 

“You sound just like I did when I was your age.”

 

 

 

“Really!?

 

But you’re like…15 or 16…?”

 

 

 

“I’m ageless.”

 

 

 

I blew a strand of hair out of my face in annoyance while she crouched back down to make a second wish-

 

 

 

Rustling.

 

 

From the bushes…

 

 

 

The hairs on my arms stood on end.

 

 

 

“What was that!?”

 

 

“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s good.”

 

 

“But isn’t that kind of obvious though-!?”

 

 

More rustlings.

 

 

My teeth began to clack together in fear.

 

 

 

I wasn’t one to believe in things right off the bat, but Mystic’s ghost stories floated to the forefront of my mind anyway.

 

 

 

_**“Hahhahhahahaha-!”** _

 

 

 

It was the maniacal cackling of a Madman!

 

 

 

“Alice…”, Penelope’s jaw was clenched tight.

 

“Get back to the campgrounds now.”

 

 

“Why…what is it?”

 

 

“Just go.”

 

 

 

And leave her to face whatever the heck that was alone!?

 

 

 

…What if she got hurt the minute I disappeared!?

 

 

 

 

Chala would never forgive me…

 

 

 

“No.

 

 

I lost one friend to this craziness.

 

 

 

I am NOT losing another!”

 

 

 

“That’s very sweet of you, but I’m afraid this is no time to be heroic. You really NEED to go before---“

 

 

 

A blurred figure rushed out of the bushes in an instant, arms wrapping themselves firmly about her torso!

 

 

“-Mph!”

 

 

As she fought and clawed at her assailant, they pushed a cloth at her nose and throat.

 

 

 

I watched in frozen horror as she _sloooowly_ went limp.

 

 

 

 

My heart thudded wildly against the bones of my rib cage.

 

 

 

 

Then they turned towards _me._

 

 

 

I tried to throw myself backwards, but they were too fast!

 

 

 

I tried to scream for help-

 

 

 

~~As you should’ve done the first time, you idiot!-~~

 

 

 

But another cloth was whipped out and held firmly over my own nose and mouth.

 

 

 

 

A sweet, cloying scent invaded my nostrils-

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Don’t go to sleep, don’t go to sleep, no, no-!!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't go to sleep, don't go to sleep, don't go to sleep


	15. Home At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am Alice, and Alice is Me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know not what I do...

It was in my head…pounding painfully into my ears…

 

 

A soft, lilting rhyme:

 

 

 

_Wake up, wake up, pretty dear._

 

_How I welcome you back here._

 

_And I welcome you to stay_

 

_As we greet this brand new day._

 

_So come get up, no time to lose._

 

 

**_Dear Mystic’s coming, she’ll have to choose…_ **

 

 

 

 

I was waking up.

 

 

 

 

I _wanted_ to wake up-

 

 

 

 

My vision blackened with dark stars, and I almost threw up.

 

 

 

 

_…So it’s going to be-like this…?_

 

 

 

 

 

Forced to wait a bit for my brain to catch up with the rest of me, I felt my eyelids flutter.

 

Two of everything appeared in split-second bursts of outrageous color and light.

 

I tried to focus on one thing, and one thing only, but it was hard-

 

 

 

_Double steaming pots of…tea…?_

 

_Now—a single one…_

 

 

 

I couldn’t taste.

 

 

But I _could_ smell a delectable smorgasbord of fragrant beverages, and warm foods.

 

 

My eyes burned from the psychedelic swirls of wild hues and patterns as far as I could see, the only real recognizable item in the room a table set for three.

 

 

But the _sounds_ that assailed my ears were a lot easier for me to handle:

 

A simple bubbling from a nearby kettle, and the loud keening of a prominently-displayed cuckoo clock.

 

 

 

It was 9 A.M.

 

 

 

 

And touch.

 

 

 

A smooth, velvety finger caressed my face.

 

 

 

It was a man wh **om I did not know.**

 

 

 

 

I shivered, the knot in my stomach pulling itself tighter with every choked breath.

 

 

_Uh…can I go back to sleep now!?_

 

_Or better yet-_

 

 

 

_Can I please wake up!?_

 

 

 

A distressed tear slid down my cheek despite myself.

 

 

 

 

Cold air washed over my legs.

 

 

 

Looking down, I-

 

 

 

what

 

 

 

uh

 

 

 

 

no

 

 

nope

 

 

no

 

 

no

 

 

no

 

 

no

 

 

no

 

 

 

 

I was wearing a new Alice dress.

 

 

 

Not over my pajamas…

 

 

Not even over

 

 

 

 

There were ropes, too, of course, carefully binding me to the chair, but I couldn’t care less about them

 

 

 

 

Someone had removed every single article of clothing I’d been wearing before this moment.

 

 

Without my permission…

 

 

Without my awareness…

 

 

 

 

I could see my faded, grayish t-shirt and baggy shorts folded neatly upon a nightstand.

 

 

 

 

“You’re awake”, he said in a breathy whisper.

 

 

“I’m so glad…”

 

 

 

And in that moment, I knew who he was.

 

 

 

 

**Horace.**

 

 

 

He moved to my front, and looked me up and down, eyebrows raising in approval.

 

 

He then smirked.

 

 

  
“Yes…

 

You are perfectly suited to this role.

 

This Wonderland’s in my control.

 

But I needed another to play her part.

 

And your friend Mystic had stolen my heart.

 

Her face is sweet and aura's pure. Adorable, and quite demure.

 

But why change her name when someone else will do?

 

 

Especially someone whose name will stay true…”

 

 

 

To my right.

 

 

Penelope finally stirred.

 

 

 

Groaning, she lifted her head up from where it had been previously resting upon the table, and said:

 

 

“-What in the world!?”

 

 

 

I was mildly surprised that she hadn’t woken up earlier.

 

 

She _did_ get captured first, after all…

 

 

 

Meanwhile, that Monster picked up a fresh cup of tea, heady steam curling off of its edges, and held it up to my mouth.

 

 

“Drink this”.

 

 

 

**No.**

 

 

 

I pressed my lips together firmly, and let my head flop down toward my lap.

 

 

 

He chuckled.

 

 

 

“Stubborn one, aren’t we? I guess we’ll have to see.”

 

 

 

 

_Tick…tick…tick…_

 

 

 

A pocket watch.

 

 

 

“Listen.

 

Can you hear the clock?

 

 

How its ticking is synchronizing with your heartbeat?”

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I could…

 

 

 

My hands strained involuntarily against their restraints.

 

 

I needed to cover my ears.

 

 

 

NOW

 

 

 

“Nothing else. Just the ticking, synchronizing with your heartbeat.”

 

 

 

 

A terrifying fog was beginning to descend over my brain, and I was NOT prepared-!

 

 

It was a lucky thing that I was strapped down, otherwise, I would be banging my forehead off anything and everything within reach to maKE IT STOOOPP!!

 

 

 

To that end, I tried to swing my head down to the obnoxiously-bright table-

 

 

 

His dirty hand grabbed hold of my hair, and gently yanked me back into an upright position, the _creep!_

 

 

 

“Look into my eyes”, he compelled me, “Not around them, not above them, but **_deep_** into their centers.”

 

 

 

 

Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Yet I couldn’t look away.

 

 

 

 

There was a magnetic pull drawing me in, one that I simply could not break no matter how hard I told my mind to quit it right now or else it would all be over and then what would happen to Envy, and Kokoro, and Korokuma, and Lynn, and all of the other multitudes of characters and stories running through my consciousness

 

 

 

Calm.

 

Terror.

 

 

 

A terrified calm.

 

 

 

 

**Now sleep.**

 

 

 

 

 

Alice. You’re back.

 

 

I am?

 

 

Yes. Back in Wonderland.

 

 

 

_Beautiful flowers, and dewy-eyed animals._

 

 

 

_They were there, now._

 

 

 

And you have your dress on. The blue dress. The white front. The black headband with the bow. White tights. Blonde hair. Black dress shoes.

 

 

 

_I could feel each item flow into place upon my nothing-ness shrouded body._

 

 

 

And that lovely high British dialect.

 

 

 

_A strange tingling within my mouth._

 

 

 

 

Not…upsetting, really

 

 

 

Just…

 

 

 

 

**Odd.**

 

 

 

 

We’ve been waiting for you. It’s the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the dormouse.

 

 

 

 

Your best friends.

 

 

 

 

_Was it really them!?_

 

 

 

 

It was about time I hadn’t seen them in _for-_ **ever!!**

 

 

 

An excited joy filled me, the likes of which I had never known before.

 

 

 

Come and join us. Our tea party.

 

 

 

 

**SNAP**

 

 

 

 

“Would you care for some more tea, my dear Alice?” the Mad Hatter asked politely.

 

 

I grinned my widest grin that I was able!

 

 

 

 

**“Please!”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -For this is beyond my control.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow. This just gets crazier and crazier by the minute-


End file.
